The Bride of the Water God
by michiyorain
Summary: When little Ran was chosen to be sacrificed to appease the Water God and end the drought, Makoto and Haruka saves her only for Haruka to be pulled beneath the waves where he finds himself in a world where rivers run uphill and lakes floated in the sky, married to a Water God who just can't be honest with his feelings.
1. Prologue

**I've always wanted to write these boys in this kind of setting. **

* * *

"Haru-chan! Wait up!" Makoto called as he ran up the small cliff overlooking the lake in their little village. He paused for breath and when he looked at the edge his friend was standing in seconds ago, there was nothing except the tell-tale splash that meant his friend couldn't wait for him. The brunette's lips broke into a warm smile. _Haru-chan really loves the water…_

The panting eleven year-old went to stand over the edge to watch his black-haired best friend glide over the surface, making ripples in the normally serene lake. If his best friend loved the water, Makoto loved watching his best friend in the water. Makoto had known Haruka ever since he can remember. The black haired boy only had two things in life that he ever showed care for: water and mackerel. So when Haruka gets either one, Makoto could tell he's thrilled despite his best friend's usual expressionless appearance.

Haruka is the best swimmer in their village, Makoto coming a close second. Actually, they're the only swimmers their age in the village. No one else really bothers to go to the lake because it was supposed to be a home for the gods. Haruka and Makoto were also forbidden but since Haruka loves water and Makoto cannot let Haruka go alone, there they were, spending another afternoon in the lake.

Makoto sat on the edge of Haruka's favorite little diving cliff, his gaze following Haruka's form as he paddled back and forth, seemingly never getting enough of the water flowing against his body.

"Ooh~ He's a really good swimmer."

Makoto almost jumped out of his skin at the unfamiliar voice that came from behind him. He looked back abruptly only to see a red-haired kid about their age with the biggest grin he'd ever seen on anyone. And man, those are some really sharp teeth he got there!

Makoto watched as the unknown boy's eyes followed Haru's form on the lake, his grin never faltering. Makoto wasn't surprised. Haruka's swimming is truly a beautiful sight to behold.

And then the red-haired boy threw off everything except his shorts and dived into the water.

Makoto raised an eyebrow as he watched the new boy swim up next to Haruka. The raven sped up, and suddenly, the two were racing neck and neck around the lake. Makoto watched in awe as the boy almost came on par with his best friend. Makoto could swim as well as Haruka, but he wasn't half as fast. So when the two almost touched the bottom of the cliff Makoto was standing in almost at the same time, Makoto was really curious.

Haruka shook off the water from his hair and stared blankly at the boy coming out of the water to sit on the rock. Makoto had come down from the top and was offering Haruka a hand out of the water.

"Nobody can beat you when you're in the water, Haru-chan." Makoto greeted.

Haruka let out a sigh, "Drop the '–chan' already.' Though he took the offered hand nonetheless.

"You sure swim fast, just like the rumors say." The red-haired boy grinned.

Haruka looked to Makoto for answers but the brunette just shrugged. He doesn't know what the new boy was talking about. As far as they both know, no one really knows that much about their swimming abilities.

"Ah. Where are my manners…" the red hair approached them, extending a hand. "My name's Rin. I know it's a girl's name, but I'm definitely a boy."

Makoto and Haruka stared at each other before Makoto accepted the outstretched hand, "I'm Tachibana Makoto and this is my friend," he gestured with his other hand to the raven, "Nanase Haruka."

Rin then offered his hand to Haruka who reluctantly took it. Rin smiled warmly, "I've never had anyone beat me at swimming before. Has anyone bested you before?"

Haruka looked back into the water, "I never really cared about that. I only swim free." And then he was in the water again.

Makoto scratched his cheek sheepishly, "Sorry about that, Haru-chan just really loves the water, more than anything else."

And they watched mesmerized as Haruka swam freely, "And the water loves him back." Rin almost whispered as he was transfixed again.

* * *

_All I want is to feel the water. With my eyes, my skin, my soul…to never doubt what it makes me feel. Believe in myself. Don't resist the water. Welcome it. We accept one another._

* * *

And before they realized, Rin became an integral part of their afternoons. Everyday, they'd find him waiting for them atop their diving cliff and everyday, he'd say goodbye to them on that same cliff while he watched them walk back to the village.

At first, they were curious as to where Rin's home was but Rin's answers of 'Just on the other side of the lake' or 'I'd really like to show you, but let's save it for next time. I want to race!' stymies them every time. Soon, Haruka and Makoto learned to keep their questions to themselves. If Rin wasn't telling, there must be a reason and he seemed to be a genuinely good person. Rin is the most expressive person they know. There's no way he could lie.

Makoto was truly happy for his best friend. He's glad Haruka was expanding his world and for the additional person to have as much enthusiasm for water as he does, Makoto couldn't ask for a better new friend than Rin. Makoto's not blind, in all the years he'd known Haruka, he knew the black-haired boy was really happy to have Rin as a friend, no matter how much he tries to hide it behind his seemingly expressionless face. There was no doubt that Haruka likes Rin, too.

Their routine meetings continued for two years before, as swiftly as he appeared in their lives, Rin abruptly left it.

One afternoon, Rin just wasn't at the top of their diving cliff, waiting eagerly for them like he always did. They waited for him to appear, even Haruka patiently sat down beside Makoto and waited for Rin before jumping into the water. They waited for an hour, but Rin was still nowhere in sight.

So the two agreed to look for Rin's house on the other side of the lake like he always told them. What they didn't expect was a deep ravine just beyond the thick cover of shrubs and trees surrounding the other side of the lake. No wonder it was forbidden to venture in that part of the town, it was easy enough to mistakenly walk off the cliff after the thick foliage. Rin couldn't have lived anywhere near the vicinity.

The two went back to their diving spot and for the first time in two years, their minds were filled with the questions they never asked Rin.

That afternoon, for the first time in his life, Makoto knew Haruka was in no mood to swim. It was a depressing sight. Haruka, his best friend in the world, never refused water. He practically thrived in it. And for Haruka not to swim in a lake when a pail of water was enough to make him strip, Makoto was worried Haruka might never let anyone in ever again.

They came back to that spot for the next two afternoons, but there was still no sigh of Rin. Haruka never touched the water. Makoto just sat there with his friend, waiting quietly for their lost friend to come. And each day, Makoto could almost see Haruka's heart breaking as he stared at the water longingly.

At the end of the third afternoon, as Makoto stood up from his spot to tell Haruka it's time to go back to their village, Haruka told him to go back first.

"Nah, I'll wait with you a little more." Makoto made to sit back down when Haruka tore his gaze from the water to look at him.

"But your mom will need you to watch the twins so she could start dinner." Haruka said.

Makoto grimaced. He's right. The twins were a handful and it's about time they wake from their afternoon nap.

"Alright, but don't stay behind for too long, either." He gave Haruka a pat on the back before leaving.

Maybe Haru needs the time alone, Makoto thought as he took one last glance at the quiet figure of his best friend before he ran the rest of the way home. He hoped Haruka would go back to his old self soon and for Rin to come back to them.

Haruka came back to the village a little after the sun went down. Makoto called out to him as Haruka passed his house while he was playing on the front yard with the twins. But Haruka seemed to not hear him and Makoto didn't call further. From the lights, he could see Haruka's hair was damp. Makoto smiled to himself. Haruka's back in the water. Maybe he'll be fine again. He'd just ask tomorrow.

But the next day, a big issue exploded in the village.

There was no more water from the wells. Every source of water in the village was suddenly bone dry.

A drought had come upon their quaint village. Everyone was in a panic as to what to do.

Makoto didn't think twice as he ran into the forest. His mind was racing as he prayed for a miracle.

But there was no miracle.

Only the reality that Haruka can never swim again in the water he loved so much.

Makoto grieved for his friend as he stared at the grassy bottom of the lake they used to swim in.


	2. The Sacrifice

**Five years later…**

Makoto gleefully jogged back to his house on afternoon. He can't wait to tell them the good news. He had managed to sell every piece of Haruka's art pieces for a higher price! A wealthy noblewoman had liked them very much and offered a more than generous price for all of them. Makoto was so thrilled! Now they won't have a problem paying taxes for the next few months.

"Haru-chan! Guess what!" he eagerly called for his friend as he entered the front gate of his house and saw his best on the front yard. Haruka looked up from the canvas he was currently painting on and put down his easel on the table beside him.

The raven winced at the '-chan' after his name but knew his reprimands would just go over the brunette's head anyway. "You're back early. The twins are playing in the back," Haruka wiped his paint-covered hands, deciding to finish his work after dinner.

The last five years were full of changes in their lives.

First was the drought. It had caused the fiefdom a large amount of money to lay out pipes for irrigation and household water distribution to bring in water from the same source as the capital. This led to a sharp increase in taxes from their village that some villagers opted to leave and those who had no choice because the land they till wouldn't sell were forced to pay higher taxes for the water.

Second was the death of Haruka's grandmother and Makoto's mother. Haruka's grandmother, who was his only remaining relative, died when Haruka was thirteen. This prompted Makoto's mother to adopt the orphaned raven. Hence, why Haruka is living together with Makoto and the twins. But Makoto's mother suddenly contracted an illness less than a month after Haruka moved in and she passed away a few days later.

Since then, Haruka and Makoto had fended for their little family. The twins were growing up and they needed money to pay for water. So Makoto, having a naturally strong build, took manual labor at the fields and Haruka worked at the village woodshop and painted for a living. They just discovered Makoto's talent as a salesman when Haruka couldn't sell his artworks because of his aloof nature.

And so, Makoto took to the task of selling his pieces while Haruka was more than happy to stay at home watching over the twins while doing his favorite hobby aside from swimming.

And now, at seventeen, Makoto and Haruka were slowly trying to inch their art dealership into the capital's nobility. Then maybe, they won't have to move. It was Makoto's mother's last wish for Makoto and his siblings to stay in the house. She didn't give them a reason but now Makoto was glad he didn't have to disobey.

All in all, Makoto thought, life is certainly looking up for them.

But as fate would have it, little did Makoto know that his fate was just turning for the worst.

* * *

That night, as Makoto, Haruka and the twins were enjoying a little dinner feast, a knock sounded at the door. Makoto set his chospticks down and excused himself as he went to open the door, wondering who would call on them at such an hour.

He was surprised to see their village leader, along with the elders and some villagers gathered at his front yard. Albeit confused, he put on an easy smile and asked, "Is there something I can do for you, sir?"

The village leader had a sympathetic look on his bearded face which puzzled Makoto all the more, "I'm afraid I have grave news for you, Tachibana-kun. But this has to be done for the sake of the whole village. I hope you'd understand, we're all doing this with heavy hearts,"

Now, Makoto was downright lost, "Pardon me, but what exactly is it that you're trying to tell me?"

A village elder stepped into his view, "A few days ago, the oracle at the capital had sent a message to me. It says that the drought was brought upon us because we had angered the Water God and there is only one way to appease him," the elder relayed.

Makoto felt the bile rise to his throat as he dreaded what was to come next.

"We have to offer a bride to the water god, and young Ran was chosen for the role,"

"Nii-chan?"

Makoto looked back as Ran's frightened voice reached his ears. The twelve year old girl was clinging to Haruka who was holding her close with Ren standing in front of his twin protectively with a determined look on his face. And Makoto knew he had to get everybody away fast. He nodded to his best friend who just grabbed the twin's hands and led them to the back of the house while Makoto slammed and bolted the front door locked. He then ran after Haruka, grabbing the only sword in the house off the display wall in the living room.

But before he could catch up, he heard Ran's screams in the backyard along with Ren's angry yells.

He found a dozen men from the village already in his backyard. Six of them were beating up a defenseless Haruka while two were holding on to the twins who were pleading for them to stop.

Just before he could help Haruka, the twins turned to him with terrified expressions and he barely heard them scream his name before a sharp pain rattled his skull and he heard nothing more.

* * *

When Makoto woke up, he found himself in a dim, dank cell. He felt around him and found Haruka lying prone on the ground in a makeshift bed. He reached for his wounds and found them properly bandaged up. It seems the men had expected them to fight back but doesn't really mean to harm them grievously.

_But they still did_, Makoto thought. They took Ran, his precious little sister. Ren doesn't deserve this. She was so young. She's got her whole life ahead of her. She wasn't born to be fodder to appease some cruel god.

Makoto heard a groan behind him and looked back to see Haruka sitting up, clutching his bandaged head.

"Haruka, does it hurt? Are you nauseous?" Makoto inquired as he crawled over to his best friend.

"Makoto." Haruka grumbled, "I'm fine. It doesn't hurt much. Where are we?" Haruka slowly got to his feet. Thankfully, they didn't break any bones, but he could feel that he has plenty of bruises.

Maybe the people just meant to incapacitate them and not exactly maim them since they could have easily killed him when they had mauled him.

"We must be in an underground cell. Are you feeling better? We have to get out of here! We have to save the twins!" Makoto shook the bars but it budge. There were no windows to tell how much time had passed since their capture.

"Calm down, Makoto. I'm sure they haven't-," And just before he could go to Makoto, thunder rolled in the distance and the two let out a gasp. It hadn't rained in the last five years in their village.

"Don't tell me…They couldn't have already-?!" Makoto rattled the bars harder but just then, screams came from above. Then came the tell-tale pitter patter of running feet and more screams and before they both knew it, the ceiling of their cell was blown away.

Makoto and Haruka immediately clung onto the bars which were thankfully bolted to the ground. Everything around them was swept away in a swirling torrent of wind and rain. They tightened their grips as the tornado threatened to take them away but fortunately, after a few minutes, they were back on their feet.

They clambered out of the cell and weren't surprised to find the whole village had been razed to the ground. It was the biggest tornado they had ever seen in their lives. It was raining hard and the winds blew harshly as thunder clapped and lightning illuminated the destruction.

They stopped a man running frantically in their direction.

"Where did they take the sacrifice?" Makoto demanded, shaking the hysterical man by the shoulders.

"At the lake! They left her there when it rained!" the man blurted out before struggling out of Makoto's grasp and darting away.

Makoto and Haruka hurried to the lake, dodging falling trees and flying debris as they ran. They raced through the familiar path, now littered with logs and uprooted trees. Bile was rising in Makoto's throat as he forced his legs to speed up. '_Let them be safe, please_!'

They broke through the littered foliage and came to the edge of the overflowing lake. Makoto gasped in horror as he found his sister marooned on a small boat, screaming for help as she held on to a piece of rope tied to the boat. The boat was being pulled into a large whirlpool in the middle of the lake. The one holding on to the other end of the rope was little Ren, who was desperately holding on to a large rock as he struggled not to let go of his sister. Makoto and Haruka wasted no more time and jumped into the tempest tossed lake in their clothes, swimming expertly to Ran's boat.

"Ran! Hold on!" Makoto shouted in between breaths, "We're coming!"

Haruka reached Ran first and pulled her out of the boat just as the rope broke. Haruka struggled to keep the girl above the surface. Ran couldn't swim and was heavily traumatized by the water. She was panicking and Haruka was having a hard time fighting the pull of the whirlpool. Makoto reached them and started pulling them back but a strong wind kept pushing them back.

_Come with me, Haru._

Suddenly, Haruka felt something pull at his feet, dragging him and Ran under the surface. Makoto, who had an arm around his shoulders, tried to pull them back but it was no use. Whatever grabbed him was dragging them all down so Haruka decided to pry Makoto's arm off his shoulder and push Ran into her brother's arms. Makoto, realizing what his best friend was trying to do, tried to desperately reach for him but to no avail. Ran was running out of air. Makoto gritted his teeth and swam as fast as he can back to the surface. Ran sputtered and cried when they broke the surface, clinging tightly to her brother. Makoto brought her to the bank where a sobbing Ren was waiting for them.

"Take care of her, Ren. I have to go get Haru," he ordered his little brother as he laid down his little sister on the edge of the lake. They screamed his name as he jumped back into the raging lake. Makoto swam as close as he can to the whirlpool and dove underwater. Makoto went as deep as he can but when his palm touched the grass at the bottom, he went back up. He was surprised to find that the huge whirlpool was gone and the rain was letting up.

He took in a large breath and dove, reaching the grassy bottom again but this time, he tried to sweep the surrounding area as much as he can. After two minutes, he broke the surface again, took in deep breaths and dove back in. Haruka was nowhere to be found but Makoto refused to give up. He lost track of how many times he dove back in and he must have swept the whole bottom of the lake twice. But there was still no Haruka. When Makoto looked up into the sky after his last dive, the sky was already clear and the morning sun was high in the air. He let his fists hit the water in frustration, splashing water around him. His mind was only beginning to register that his body was exhausted. Tears fell from his blood-shot green eyes. _Where's Haruka?_ He sobbed.

* * *

_Come with me, Haru._

Haruka faded in and out of consciousness. His body was light and cold and all he wanted was to curl in on himself and sleep in peace. He didn't want to hear the boy of that cherise-haired boy he used to call a friend a long time ago. But it was calling him, almost begging him. But he refused. He couldn't afford to leave Makoto. Makoto can't be left on his own. He needed Haruka. So Haruka couldn't come with him.

"Wake up! Wake up~!"

There were voices calling him from his slumber. He tried to drain them out but they just got louder and louder until they made his head hurt. Haruka opened his eyes tiredly. It was blurry, but he could make out two figures crowding his vision. The sun directly above irritated his eyes. He was lying on a wooden plank and he could hear water flowing near him.

"Hey! Wake up! Hello~!" the first voice screamed near his ear and Haruka wanted nothing more than to swat the person away if only he had the strength to do so.

"Nagisa, I think he's waking up," the second voice seemed a bit worried.

Haruka's vision cleared and he found red eyes looking down at him, the owner's face too close for comfort. "You're too close," he grumbled.

The owner of the face pulled back and Haruka saw that the blonde was grinning at him. "Hello~ My name is Nagisa and this here is Rei," he pointed to the blunette on Haruka's left. "We're going to be your attendants,"

Haruka closed his eyes, exhausted, "What for?" he asked.

"Because from today onwards, you're married to our master, the Water God," they answered.

I see. So you finally came for me, Haru thought as he was pulled to sleep. The memory of a smiling, cherise-haired boy filling his mind.

_I love you._


End file.
